


The Perils of Procrastination

by iamtheoneinthehole



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 05:20:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1292875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamtheoneinthehole/pseuds/iamtheoneinthehole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from cenationartisit; Ray has to stay at the office late to finish some work, just as he is leaving some guys jump him. However, he was in the middle of calling one of the guys, which allows them to hear what is going on and go to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perils of Procrastination

**Author's Note:**

> This was an amazing prompt to write! I just hope I did it the justice it deserved :)

Ray really shouldn’t have left editing the latest GTA video they’d filmed this late, he knew that, he’d been reminded of that several times this week by Jack (who was pretty much the only one of his boyfriends who actually managed to stay on top of their work) and by Geoff this morning at the office when he’d been given a gentle but firm reminder (complete with a soft kiss to his forehead that’d taken the edge off his words just a little) that it was meant to be posted the next day on the Roosterteeth website. And he’d always been meaning to get to it sooner… But then the indie game he’d picked up to play on a whim had turned out to have way more scope and a better game play than he’d been anticipating from it and before long he’d found himself caught up in a quest to attain all of the game’s achievements.

At the end of the day, it was his own fault when he'd ended up having to stay late to finish up the edit and, based on the eyerolls he’d received from his boys accompanied with an affectionate ‘idiot’ from Ryan and somewhat less affectionate dumbass from Geoff when he’d explained the situation to his boyfriends earlier, they agreed with him entirely on that front. They had promised to wait up for him though, even after Ray pointed out that he might have to pull an all nighter to get it done (because he’d barely even started on the edit, having gotten distracted from his work earlier when Gavin had made another one of his dumb bets against Michael, the Achievement Hunters all gathering around to watch Michael attempt to eat a raw clove of garlic in three minutes for a hundred dollars… as it turned out this had been one of those rare bets that Gavin had actually won), and Geoff had made him promise to call when he got out so that they’d be able to order in food for when he got back.

He’d tried to talk them out of it, not wanting them to wind up sleep deprived and hungry just because he hadn’t managed to stay on top of his work at the office but his boyfriends were stubborn fuckers when they wanted to be (and honestly he wouldn’t have them any other way) so eventually he’d admitted defeat, waving his boyfriends off as they’d left the Achievement Hunter office before settling down and getting back to work on the editing he’d honestly been putting off for far too long now.

In the end, the edit had ended up taking a lot less time than he’d originally thought once the ever-present distractions that were his often ridiculous but loveable boyfriends had been removed from the equation, Ray finishing up just after Lindsay who’d apparently also managed to put off some editing long enough for it to become a problem (though in her case, Ray was pretty sure it had more to do with her other work on RWBY than any actual procrastination on her part). They’d high fived each other like the dorks they were before Lindsay had moved to head out, offering Ray a lift that he’d thought about for a moment before declining, not wanting the woman to have to go out of her way for him. Besides, it was a nice night and a little fresh air would probably do some good (considering how little he usually got between work and achievement collecting). He’d waved her off with a grin before moving to gather his stuff and head out of the office, offering a quick nod to the few people still working there as he did before exiting the building.

He’d been walking for about five minutes of the fifteen it took to get back to the place he shared with his boyfriends when he’d pulled out his phone to ring Geoff, rolling his eyes as he saw the missed texts littered across his screen, mostly from Gavin telling him they missed him and Michael telling him to hurry the fuck up and get home because the Brit had started pining for him in his absence. The best text he’d gotten though was from Ryan who’d sent him a picture of Gavin pouting and doing his best impression of puppy dog eyes (which was actually pretty effective, not that any of them ever planned on telling the Brit since he’d never stop using them if he knew that) accompanied with the words ‘Come home?’ He’d let out a laugh at that one, musing aloud to himself that his boyfriends were fucking idiots sometimes before unlocking his phone to call Geoff.

Ray had just heard the sound of the man’s voice on the other side of the phone when it’d suddenly been violently slammed from his hand. He turned around cautiously, eyes widening a little as he took in the three tall men towering over him, their leader’s eyes holding something that was cold, unforgiving and completely unsettling given how alone and vulnerable Ray suddenly realized he was.

“Um, can I help you guys with something?” He’d offered after a moment into the tense silence, even as he internally berated himself for speaking given the way the leader’s eyes seemed to flash with something dangerous in response before the man moved closer.

“Maybe you can help us clear something up you see, me and the boys were just walking along the street just now and we thought you heard you said boyfriends, as in plural? You see my boys here are convinced they heard you say that but I think you meant girlfriend didn’t you?”

_Just agree with him and get out of here. Don’t talk back to them, don’t piss them off, just lie and leave-_ “No I meant boyfriends.” _Ray you fucking idiot._

“So you’re not just a fag but a slut huh? A slutty fag.”

_Don’t talk back, don’t respond to that, that’s what he wants you to do-_ “Well I bet this ‘slutty fag’ still gets more action than you do.” _And now you’re going to fucking die. But congratulations Ray, you managed to get in one last snarky one-liner before you did. Maybe that’s what they’ll write on your grave; Ray Narvaez Jr., master of wits and snarky one-liners, died as a result of a carefully crafted ‘fuck you’..._

“You think so? Well here’s what I think. I think it’ll be pretty hard for you to get any kind of action from anyone once me and my boys are through with you.” The man smirked, hand catching in Ray’s collar as he delivered his first swift punch to Ray’s gut before stepping back and allowing his ‘boys’ to move in.

He could feel the air violently rush from his lungs as one of the men’s fist made contact with his stomach, his next punch sending the smaller man collapsing to the ground as a spasm of pain suddenly shot through him and he, perhaps instinctively, began to curl in on himself in the hopes of deflecting more damage.

He wasn’t entirely sure how long it carried on for after that, losing track of anything that wasn’t the swift but hard kicks to his sides as the two men moved in on him, one of them grabbing him by the hair after their boss gave the order to ‘mess up that pretty face of his’, Ray’s cries for help going unheeded, his voice hoarse as he tried to draw in more lungfuls of air to do anything other than cry out in pain. His head was spinning by this point and he’d been just beginning to teeter dangerously on the edge of passing out when he’d suddenly heard a familiar voice echo through the alley way.

“Hey assholes,” Suddenly a fist that didn’t belong to the men who’d assaulted him was flying through the air, Michael’s angry face coming into vision as he tugged away the man who’d been kicking his side, the other man tugged away seconds later by a fuming Jack moments later and for a moment Ray caught brief glimpses of his boyfriends essentially kicking the crap out of the men until Ryan and Gavin rushed over, obscuring his vision of them as the older man began to assess his wounds. Gavin, meanwhile, had began to babble nervously, repeatedly telling Ray everything was going to be okay in a way that sounded as if the Brit might be trying to convince himself more than Ray of that fact. It was strangely comforting though all the same, as was the hand that gently held his as they both sat and waited for Ryan’s verdict.

“Fuck Geoff I think he’s got a broken rib,” Ryan called out after a few minutes of gently running his fingers over different parts of the man’s body (which under different circumstances would’ve probably led to a much more enjoyable situation than the one which they were currently facing given Ray’s weakness for the man’s hands), asking him in a soft, calming tone where things hurt and whether he thought he’d be okay to walk (to which Ray’s cheeks had colored a little and he’d admitted that someone might need to carry him). Ryan had been understanding throughout though, carefully scooping the man into his arms as he’d asked if Geoff and the others could handle this while he and Gavin (since the Brit was making it adamantly clear that he wasn't going anywhere until he knew Ray was gonna be okay) got Ray to the hospital.

With Ryan and Gavin no longer blocking his eye-line to his other boyfriends he’d suddenly been able to see the man who’d been fighting Michael’s bloody nose and the way that Jack’s opponent was now cowering against the wall with his hands raised in surrender (not that Ray particularly blamed him for that. It took a lot, after all, to make Jack truly angry but, on the rare occasion when you did, it was a pretty damn terrifying sight to behold) before his eyes moved over to Geoff’s for the first time since his boyfriends had arrived on the scene, finding the older man with the leader in a choke hold, a look of fire burning in his eyes as he’d told Ryan they were fine and to just make damn sure their boyfriend was okay while they took care of these assholes.

And with that Gavin had been racing back towards the car the boys had arrived in, helping Ryan ease Ray into the passenger seat as gently as possible before moving to take a seat in the back of the car as Ryan started up the engine and began to drive, as quickly as possible towards the nearest hospital.

\----

Geoff waited until he’d seen the car drive away with Ray safely inside it before he’d finally released the leader from his hold, hand immediately moving to grip his boyfriend’s attacker by the throat instead as he pinned him to the wall, “Now you listen here you piece of shit and you listen good. You may think that you’re so fucking superior with your ‘social norms’ and your one fucking girlfriend who’ll hopefully wake up, realize one day what a fuckhead she’s dating and dump your sorry ass but you’re not. Fact is there’s nothing wrong with being a ‘fag’ and there never has been so grow the ever loving fuck up and deal with it. Also, its none of your goddamn business anyways who he sleeps with. And for the record, he’s as far from fucking slutty as you are from being a decent human being so you can shut the fuck up about that. Oh and finally, you may think that you’re tough with your two cronies here to protect you but let me tell you this... I was a fucking soldier. I served in the armed forces and I was goddamn great at my job. You know what that means? I killed lots of men just like you… And if you ever come after one of my boyfriends again? I will come after you and won’t hesitate to put you in the ground with them. Are we clear?” The leader gave a shaky nod, Geoff’s grip tightening a little in response, “I expect an answer when I ask you a question I said are we fucking clear?”

“Yes sir.” The guy offered shakily, eyes shining with a fear that certainly hadn’t been there when they’d arrived on the scene. Provided the doctors did their jobs and Ray turned out to be fine other than some injuries that would heal with time, that would have to be enough to appease him... for now.

“Get the fuck out of my sight.” He let the man go roughly, watching with just the slightest hint of satisfaction as the man slammed into the wall a couple of times in his hurry to get away from Geoff, his two cronies quickly following suit after Jack and Michael let them go, racing after their leader in a fashion that probably would’ve been comical under different circumstances.

“You know Geoff, if we weren’t all worried about Ray, Michael and I would probably be jumping your bones right about now.” Geoff turned, eyebrow raised in what was almost amusement as he took in the look in his boyfriend’s eyes and Michael’s unabashed nod of agreement in response to the man’s words.

“You like it when I give commands huh? I’ll bear that in mind for another time then... Now, does anyone know someone who lives nearby with a car that can get us to the goddamn hospital?”

\----

When Ray had woken up in hospital a few hours later it’d been to the sight of Ryan and Gavin both slumped over the edges of his bed, hands both still loosely holding his despite the fact that they’d both clearly managed to drift off in the time since he’d been admitted. He smiled fondly at the pair of them, forcing himself to ignore the way smiling hurt since he’d really rather not relive the reason why that was right now, especially as Gavin began to stir, a relieved grin coming to the Brit’s face as he realized Ray had woken up.

“How you feeling X-Ray?”

“Never better Vav.”

“You’re full of shit Ray.” Ryan mumbled from where his head still rested on the bed, eyes blinking blearily for a few moments before he sat up and gave Ray’s hand a gentle squeeze, “Turns out you had two broken ribs, a broken nose and some pretty heavy bruising, no internal bleeding though thankfully.”

“They said we’d be able to take you home once they’ve set your nose and bound your ribs.”

“No strenuous exercise for a while though Ray, the doc said strict bed rest for the rest of the week.”

“After that he said you can come back into work so long as we’re all careful with you and you don’t move around a lot.”

“So no walking home alone at night again. The next time Lindsay offers you a lift, you take it dumbass.” Geoff cut in as a nurse showed him Jack and Michael into the room, Jack moving to take a seat at the foot of the bed whilst Michael moved over to sit next to Gavin after pressing a quick kiss to Ray’s forehead with the murmured words ‘Never do that to us again idiot.’ Geoff had remained standing though, his eyes assessing Ray the way Ryan’s and the doctor’s had before, as if checking to make sure there wasn’t something they’d missed. After a few minutes of this, he finally allowed himself to relax enough to join Ryan at his side of Ray’s bed, just as Jack started to lightly massage one of his feet in a way that had Ray humming contentedly and pressing the other foot towards the man’s hands insistently. It’d been Jack who’d chuckled first, the others quickly joining in as Ray had pouted at the man, laughing their first genuine laughter since they’d found Ray in that alleyway.

\----

A week later Ray had shown up to work with his boyfriends protectively at his side (where they’d been pretty much ever since the incident) and his ribs bound to the extent that it was a small miracle they were getting any blood circulation down there at all. Ray hadn’t complained though, especially since the tight bindings actually helped a little with managing the pain.

Over the course of the next few days, people had decided it’d be a good idea to come over and (carefully) sign the bindings to the point where they’d become a pretty impressive mess of colors and surprisingly artfully drawn dicks (as well as the one rose Ray had caught Michael drawing after he’d signed his name on the material) and, at the end of all that, Ray was feeling surprisingly good for a man with a broken nose and two broken ribs. He supposed it helped that he had the best coworkers he could ask for and even better boyfriends who remained at his side almost constantly now.

A few weeks after that he was able to take the bindings off, the pain mostly gone by this point with not much but a faint smuttering of bruises, along with his memories of that night, reminding him that the incident had even occurred in the first place. He’d kept the bindings though because, though Ray hadn’t realized it at the time, his boyfriends had written longer, sappier messages along the inside of the material at some point and those messages were something that Ray was pretty sure he’d never quite be able to bring himself to throw away (though he kept the material out of sight and never admitted to his boyfriends that he had kept it given the merciless teasing he knew he’d receive if they knew he had).

Other than the remaining traces of his injuries and a piece of material with messy words scrawled across it though there was one other thing that lingered from the incident. Because, after that, it became a sort of unspoken rule that whenever one of them had to stay late editing at work, the rest would stay with them, however long it took. They’d bring food, sometimes bevs if Gavin and Michael got their way (which they usually did since if Gavin’s pout wasn’t bad enough, when Michael joined in the boys had an almost lethally cute double puppy dog look going for them that it was pretty much impossible not to cave for), and their company and they’d stay, joking and mucking about until it was time to go home. It was nice really, to have that companionship (especially during the more stressful deadlines that managed to accumulate sometimes when you worked at a place like Roosterteeth) but more importantly it meant that whoever it was who was working those extra hours would be safe when it was time to travel home, no matter how late that might be. Because after what’d happened with Ray, they were never taking that risk again.


End file.
